Susan Boyle - My Comments

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OK, I have to admit, I can’t stop thinking about Susan Boyle over the last few days. Here from afar I am watching, like so many others around the world, as she very quickly becomes globally known, in face and name, as well as song. What a phenomenon!

I want to post the recurring thoughts going through my head here. First, I think she totally deserves it. The judges have admitted, and it was plain to see in the audience, the prejudice towards her. It’s farfetched to call it an entirely cultural attitude, but for those of you who are Brits you know the facial expressions and attitudes are so typical of what our culture has become, embodied perfectly by the too-much-makeup clad teenager and her ridiculous expression, followed by the screwed up face of a middle-aged heavy smoker that made her look like one of the witches from Macbeth. Susan simply deserves it first of all based on extraordinary talent, and if a handy little tool called YouTube serves her as it has been doing so, then the more that know the merrier.

I think we genuinely forgot the talent that we have on our shores for a moment, and if one will allow me to be patriotic for a moment, (a rare feat these days) I believe that over this past week she has put the ‘Great’ back into Great Britain, and has made the United Kingdom a place where pride can be felt for a change without the usual mess of political correctness and the ‘nannying’ feminisation of the state to tell us what is correct to feel or not to. So thank you Susan for giving us some national pride.

But what exactly is this pride that she has evoked? What is this collective feeling we are all experiencing that entices us towards her, regardless of if we felt sorry for her, or guilty for our prejudice?

It is a collective feeling of normality for a change! This is another one of my thoughts – Susan is totally enticing for how normal and down to earth she is. The evidence is clear, and to recount the incidences seen over the past few days more than proves the point. Here is a woman, whom up until a week ago, completely unaccustomed to fame, was just living her life since the original audition given to the show in January. Therefore, throughout February and March, and into April, I’m sure that her life was no different but for the excitement she must have been feeling knowing that soon she would see herself on television. I am also equally sure that people in her local area continued treating her as always – the good hearted with a good attitude, and the cruel hearted with a negative attitude.

Then the audition came onto television. Let’s look closely at some facts. She came onto the stage, she faced the eyeball-rolling Simon and wincing Piers Morgan (and no doubt sounds from the audience inaudible on YouTube) and she reacted with humour “But that’s just one side of me,” followed by the assertive nod that says “So that’s that.” Then she changed her life and the world’s perception of her in a matter of two lines when she started singing – amazing!

The second example of her normality was at the end of the song – what did she do? Just walk off the stage that’s what! She must have seen countless episodes of this show and others like it to know that contestants receive feedback at the end, but she was content just to sing her song and leave – how down to earth is that? Most aspiring stars wait at the end and expect all the praise and glory in the world to reach the next stage of their dreams – In contrast, Susan was done, and it was time to go home!

As the positive comments started to flow, first from Piers, she has sheer disbelief in her eyes. This woman was and is genuine. They followed with Amanda, finished by Simon’s ridiculous sarcastic comments that he knew it all along, to which Susan responded “Simon!” whilst not fazed in the slightest. Then the true test came, would it be a yes or a no? Absolutely yes, proclaimed Piers! Amanda seconded him, to which we can hear Susan state “Amanda, you too?” It is a sheer reflection of astonishment, and shows us that Susan was taking this exactly as it came; she was not expecting all-round perfect endorsements – Amanda’s yes truly shook her. Simon’s icing-on-the-cake vote made her explode in a fit of victory that was as sweet as it was deserved – watch her celebrate in her unique style; I’ve likened it to the victory of the Scottish clan, a staunch posture full of muscle; punching the air, and a lady truly startled by her achievement.

This is exactly the myriad of evidence that shows us she is ordinary – she had to have 3 clear endorsements before she would accept the reality. A fantastic ending of the clip to watch, a clip which as I write has more than 34 million hits on YouTube. (And that is just the clip with the most hits; there are many others with more than one/two/five million hits)
Well done Susan!

Since the show, this ordinary aspect of her character to which we have attached ourselves so, continues to shine through. Throughout the last week with her endless interviews on CBS, Good Morning America, Larry King Live, and for local and national media, has shown us a woman who is desperately shy. She is truly new to all of this attention – unsure of how to look at the camera, her eyes often squinting, and her face scarlet red from over blushing. How normal she is, and how privileged we are, or should feel, to be sharing her experience as she comes to know the public spotlight; as her life changes irrevocably for the better.

What an incredible life story too that she has, that completes this dossier of evidence. She may not have been married, been kissed, and be lonely inside, but her heart is a pure one – years of devotion to her sick mother, her love likely to have kept her close to her parents in the first place as her siblings moved away. Aside from a job in a school previously, she has devoted years of her life to caring for the elderly and needy – who she admitted she “hasn’t had time to see this week.” Her cat for company and a group of true friends in her village, as she lives a lonely life day to day, content it seems but perhaps aware that something is missing; perhaps feeling disadvantaged in this society, as our prejudiced certainly proved.

I felt touched by her story, and as early academic studies are now taking place to try and describe the phenomenon being dubbed as “The Susa Effect,” I would like to contribute some raw data to the study. I feel overwhelmed; I feel inspired. She does indeed remind us that we can all achieve our dreams if we put our mind to it, with an added dash of faith and persistence, and by always making choices that we feel will lead us to our final destination. (Students take note please.) Her big caring heart and devotion to the needy reminds us that we are human, and that the world is indeed full of love and good feeling, albeit easily glossed over by prejudices and negativity. She has in essence put us in touch with ourselves; with the raw human condition.

Some might say that this is a breath of fresh air in a crisis, and I am prepared to accept that idea, but overall her impact has been more profound – she has brought us all down to earth and to the level that she lives on; a simple level, a pure level, a level where life is not so complex, where life may not be easy, but happiness there is. No wonder we don’t want her to change!

I conclude that the universe will always ensure that what you give out you get back in return, and with Susan Boyle’s stunning natural talent and caring, ordinary and down to earth personality, and now that the world truly values her for who she is, she cannot fail to realise her dreams. I look forward to seeing her fulfil her wildest dreams, and to singing in front of Her Majesty the Queen.

Best of luck Susan Boyle!
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